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Explore Business Majors

Choosing a major is an important milestone in your Gies journey. This page will help you explore your options, understand the timeline, and connect with resources that can help you make an informed decision.

When do I declare my major?

Gies Business students typically declare their major during their sophomore year after completing the required prerequisites. Your academic advisor will guide you through the declaration process and help ensure you're on track.

View Major Declaration Requirements

Find the Right Major for You

As you prepare to declare your major, take time to explore the academic programs available at Gies. Learn about each major's curriculum, experiential learning opportunities, and potential career paths to find the best fit for your interests and goals.

Accountancy

Businesses everywhere – big and small, public and private – need people trained in accountancy. By learning to record, analyze, and communicate about business’s financial transactions, you’ll gain marketable skills you can use to be a purposeful leader in almost any industry.

Accountancy + DS

Strong data analytics skills combined with accountancy knowledge will enhance your ability to speak “the language of business,” which you can use to increase your impact at companies, nonprofit organizations, government agencies, and more.

Business + DS

In the Business + Data Science major, you’ll learn to manage and interpret datasets, helping you make informed decisions that enhance business functions. With four specialization tracks, you can customize your degree to meet your career goals.

Finance

The expertise you’ll gain from studying finance can help you change lives, literally. From managing capital for businesses to helping people save for their future, there are countless ways for you to make an impact.

Finance + DS

Supplementing your finance background with data science skills will open doors to opportunities for analytical roles within the finance industry – and give you marketable data skills you can use in other contexts.

Information Systems

By designing and implementing technology solutions that reveal insights about how the business is performing, information systems experts can influence decision-making at all levels of an organization.

Management

Effective managers design organizations that can compete in complex and volatile business environments. As a manager, your contributions help organizations solve everyday problems and support a company’s work climate.

Marketing

Marketing helps consumers connect to goods and services. As a marketing professional, you’ll study consumer behavior so that you can help companies identify how they can meet consumer needs and manage customer relationships.

Operations Management

When market conditions change – as they often do – companies rely on operations managers to craft new ways to deliver goods and services. Operations personnel help drive the value of products and can influence how businesses manage their capital, human resources, and data.

Strategy, Innovation, and Entrepreneurship

This program will nurture your curiosity and imagination as you prepare to build a career of your own making – be it leading new teams at an existing organization, managing employees in a creative field, or a developing your very own business ventures.

Supply Chain Management

Supply chains are one of the most important functions in manufacturing. Supply chain managers help societies function by overseeing a complex system that starts with procuring supplies and ends in the large-scale distribution of consumer goods.

Students talking in Wymer Hall

See where each major can take you

Curious about career paths, employers, salaries, and internship opportunities? Explore career outcomes for each major and learn how Gies Business graduates put their degrees to work.

Explore Beyond the Classroom

Explore majors through events that connect you with faculty, current students, alumni, and employers. These experiences can help you better understand each major and make a confident decision.

Learn About Majors

  • Major Information Sessions
  • Faculty Meet & Greets
  • Curriculum Overviews
  • Major Exploration Week

Explore Careers & Connections

  • Employer Panels
  • Alumni Career Conversations
  • Student Organization Events
  • Career Workshops

Not sure which major is right for you?

It's okay if you haven't decided yet. Many students explore several areas of business before choosing a major. Our advisors and career coaches can help you identify your interests, strengths, and goals.

Gies College of Business Current Students at Gies Business
515 East Gregory Drive
Champaign, IL 61820
Phone: 217-300-7327